At the time of his appointment, in July 2014, and then his accreditation obtained in February 2016, the Mediator defined a development plan for recourse to the amicable resolution of disputes, in particular through ENGIE Group’s Mediation, within all subsidiaries and divisions.
- Companies with domestic customers in France
- Companies with domestic customers in Europe
- Other companies in Europe and in the rest of the world
Companies with domestic customers in France
As part of the transposition of the ADR Directive into French law (order of 20 August 2015), all of its subsidiaries and divisions with domestic customers must comply scrupulously with the requirements of the Order: inform their customers of the existence of their complaints handling process and their Mediator. Most of them have chosen the ENGIE Group’s Mediator. Others have chosen another approved mediator in line with their business activities. All entities had to comply with the Order by 1 January 2016, unless they intervene in a sector of activity that has not yet seen the establishment of its Consumption Mediator.
Companies with domestic customers in Europe
For the same reasons as for France, the ENGIE Group wants its subsidiaries to comply with the ADR Directive and its local transposition in all countries where it operates: Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Italy and Romania. For most of these subsidiaries, the ENGIE Group’s Mediator provides functional support to senior executives in setting up an amicable dispute resolution process (especially where local law provides for several possible alternatives).
Other companies in France (those with B2B customers: businesses, local authorities, public departments, etc.): the ENGIE Group is convinced that amicable settlement is an excellent manner of resolving a dispute. This is why the Mediator promotes the possibility of using mediation with all entity directors to help them transform their methods and choose a mediation system; in the majority of cases, Group companies choose the ENGIE Group’s Mediator. The ENGIE Group’s Mediation is also mentioned in the ENGIE Group’s General Terms of Purchase.
Other companies in Europe and in the rest of the world
The Mediator also offers functional support to the managers of these companies in the establishment and development of the handling of amicable dispute resolution along with the proposal and assists with systematic recourse to justice where there has been a breakdown in the direct amicable negotiation between the company and its customer/supplier. In most cases, it is not the place of the ENGIE Group’s Mediator to mediate directly in such areas; local mediators should be preferred, and on a case-by-case basis he can provide functional support.